National Law Enforcement Week recognized in Augusta

AUGUSTA – This is National Law Enforcement Officer Week. Thursday in Augusta, those people who have died in the line of duty in Maine were remembered.

The monument in Augusta honors the lives of 84 law enforcement officers, all men, who gave their lives in the line of duty. Some even before Maine became a state in 1820.

According to Attorney General Janet Mills the men who gave their lives for their families and neighbors viewed the law as more than just words in a book.

Attorney General Mills said “The law to them and to us is how we treat each other. The rules we abide by every day for the peace and security and freedom of our communities.”

In 1974, Maine State Trooper Jeffrey Parola died when he lost control of his vehicle while responding to a tactical team incident. During a 20-year-span, his family raised more than $300,000 for police charities. His father John Parola said “We gave away scholarships. And we also helped troopers had family situations, that they needed some financial help, like needed a bathroom put in or something like that.”

John Parola remembers the day his son was selected to a member of the Maine State Police. He said “That was like having his dream come true. He had wanted to do that ever since sixth or seventh grade. That’s what he really wanted to do.”